This application is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 USC 371 of International Application PCT/JP00/02482 (not published in English) filed Apr. 17, 2000.
This invention relates to an air conditioning unit for automotive vehicles.
FIG. 8 is a front view of an instrument panel, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the instrument panel taken on line IXxe2x80x94IX of FIG. 8 as viewed from an arrow therein.
The instrument panel 305 through which extends a steering wheel 311 has two openings 305A, 305B formed at a central portion thereof in the left-right direction of a vehicle.
A vent outlet grill 340 is fitted in one 305B of the openings.
An audio unit 340 having an air conditioning unit-operating block is fitted in the other 305A of the same.
A space defined by the instrument panel 305, a floor panel 306 and a vehicle panel 307 houses an air conditioning unit 301.
The air conditioning unit 301 is comprised of a blower unit 308, a cooler unit 309, and a heater unit 310.
Air is taken in by driving a blower motor, not shown, of the blower unit 308 and then blown out via outlet ports (including the vent outlet grill 304) formed at locations downstream of the blower unit 308.
The cooler unit 309 includes an evaporator 309A and absorbs heat from air passing through the evaporator 309A.
The heater unit 310 heats the air having passed through the evaporator 309.
The audio unit 340 is mounted in the vehicle via guides 335 of brackets 320. The brackets 320 have upper ends thereof mounted to the instrument panel 305 and lower ends thereof mounted to the floor panel 306.
The heater unit 110 is mounted to the vehicle panel 307.
In recent years, integration of vehicle components into modules, i.e. so-called modularization of vehicle components, has come to be carried out.
This technique of modularization of vehicle components contributes not only to improvement in mountability but also to reduction of the number of components and man-hours required for assembly of a vehicle and to resultant reduction of manufacturing costs, and hence draws attention in the field of vehicle manufacturing.
Modularization is advantageous particularly to the audio unit 340 and the heater unit to be housed in a small space defined by the instrument panel 305, the floor panel 306, and the vehicle panel 307.
From the viewpoint of this modularization, the above prior art cannot achieve sufficient reduction of the number of components and that of assembly steps.
As a solution to this problem, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Kokai No. 10-6870 discloses a technique of integrally forming a casing for housing an audio unit with a unit casing, thereby reducing the number of components; and that of assembly steps.
However, in this technique, since the unit casing is configured such as it also serves as a casing for the audio unit, if the unit casing is assembled with an instrument panel in a misaligned or improperly positioned manner, the audio unit which is assembled with the unit casing after assembling the air conditioning unit with the instrument panel is also improperly positioned with respect to the instrument panel.
If the center of the opening formed in the instrument panel does not agree with the center of a switch panel of the audio unit, it is impossible to ensure a uniform clearance between the audio unit and the opening, which degrades the appearances of the air conditioning unit and the instrument panel.
It is an object of the invention to provide an air conditioning unit for an automotive vehicle, which can be assembled with an instrument panel with high accuracy.
To attain the above object, the present invention provides an air conditioning unit for an automotive vehicle, which is housed in a space defined by a vehicle panel separating an engine room and a vehicle compartment from each other, an instrument panel arranged in the vehicle compartment, and a floor panel arranged on a floor of the vehicle compartment, which comprises a unit casing for being located In a central portion in a left-right direction of the vehicle, a bracket portion integrally formed with a rear portion of the unit casing in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, for supporting electrical equipment, a fixing portion for fixedly securing the unit casing to at least one of the instrument panel, a steering member and the floor panel, and error-accommodating means for accommodating an assembly error in assembling of the electrical equipment and the instrument panel.
Even if electrical equipment is assembled with an instrument panel in a misaligned or improperly-positioned manner, it is possible to accommodate the misalignment or displacement between the electrical equipment and the instrument panel by the error-accommodating means, so that the electrical equipment can be assembled with the instrument panel with higher accuracy.
Preferably, the fixing portion comprises a fixing member for fixedly securing the unit casing to any of the instrument panel, the steering member, and the floor panel, and an engaging member for engagement with any of the instrument panel, the steering member, and the floor panel.
According to this preferred embodiment, it is possible to fix the unit casing e.g. to the steering member by the fixing member and engage the same with the Instrument panel and the floor panel by the engaging members, thereby simplifying the operation for securing the unit casing to the vehicle and reducing man-hours required for assembly.
Preferably, the bracket portion has a guide integrally formed therewith for guiding the electrical equipment to a predetermined position during assembly of the electrical equipment with the instrument panel.
According to this preferred embodiment, it is possible to guide even a heavy electrical equipment increased in size to the predetermined position by the guide, thereby facilitating an operation for assembling the electrical equipment with the instrument panel.
Preferably, the electrical equipment is integrally assembled with the unit casing.
According to this preferred embodiment, during assembly of the air conditioning unit with the vehicle, it is possible to assemble the electrical equipment with the instrument panel together with the unit casing by assembling the unit casing with the vehicle, which contributes to reduction of a time period for assembling the air conditioning unit with the vehicle.
Preferably, the electrical equipment includes a cable for air conditioning, one end of the cable being positioned on a compartment side of the electrical equipment with respect to a fixing plate of the electrical equipment for fixing the electrical equipment to the bracket portion, and another end of the cable which extends from the electrical equipment to the unit casing by passing outside the bracket portion, being fixedly connected to door-driving means for driving a door arranged in the unit casing.
According to this preferred embodiment, since the cable for air conditioning is fixedly connected to door-driving means, when the air-conditioning unit Is assembled with the vehicle, an operation for fixing the cable from the electrical equipment to a door-driving lever can be dispensed with, which makes It possible to reduce time for assembling the air conditioning unit with the vehicle as well as to manufacture the air conditioning unit at lower costs.